Premier League Darts killed me but I’m using a hypnotherapist to keep my spirits up

LUCKLESS Stephen Bunting is using the power of hypnotherapy to remain upbeat and positive despite being on the verge of creating a new Premier League low.

The Bullet, 39, is rock bottom of the table with ZERO points, having lost all EIGHT first-round games this year in the £1million tournament.

In fact, he is on a 12-game Prem winless streak – he has not won in the competition since beating Gary Anderson 7-1 in Cardiff on April 23, 2015, in his debut year at this level.

In the 2020 Covid-hit tournament, he drew 6-6 with on his home stage of Liverpool in a one-off appearance as a contender.

The worst Prem streak is held by , who went 13 games across the 2019 and 2020 editions without celebrating a win.

Should the St Helens thrower lose to on Thursday in Berlin – on week nine – then he will equal Snakebite’s terrible tally.

Yet in a chat with SunSport on Zoom from the German capital, was still smiling and refusing to talk about the negatives.

Regular sessions being put in a trance by Merseyside-based hypnotherapist Chris O’Connor have changed his mindset and is the reason he remains confident the nightmare run will soon end.

The world No5 said: “The Premier League ten years ago sort of killed me.

“When I got dropped, it was such a bitter pill to swallow. I didn’t think I deserved to be dropped. I finished eighth.

“I believe I’m a better player now than I was back then. Times change. I’m trying my best. That’s all I can do and the preparations have been right.”;;

Luke Littler, the world champion, and the 2014 Lakeside world champion said those words have “inspired me to push on”;;.

Bunting, who has tried tinkering his flights and stems, continued: “I’m a very positive person.

“I’ve made tiny mistakes. I’ve been punished for missing a treble or double by millimetres.

“Playing the best players in the world, you don’t get that second chance. Being a part of the Premier League is prestigious.

“Even if I get to the end and I still haven’t won a game, I wouldn’t beat myself up about it. I’ll try to rectify that next year.

“It’s always disappointing when you lose. My family feels it at home. Management. The fans. It’s not for a lack of trying.

“Losses are hard to take but I’m not locking myself away. I don’t do that.

“The record is what it is. It’s just a stat. It won’t affect me. I won’t think about that. If Nathan turns up and averages 115, there’s nothing I can do about it.

“I’m sure that if it is not this week, it will be next week, or the week after that – I will find a win.

“I’m really good. I’m positive. I’ve come here off the back of two decent ProTour displays in Leicester. My form is good. It’s a free hit. All the pressure is off.”;;